Something's Rotten In Grungy City
by Masuko the Keyblader
Summary: With the help of some of Marios greatest foes, Bowser has finally taken over the Mushroom Kingdom and captured Mario. Now, all hope for the kingdom and its people are in Yoshi and a boy from the real world. Better then it sounds. Rated just to be safe.
1. Are You In Or Out?

Chapter 1

Are You In Or Out?

As day turned to night and the moon rose above the heavens, many of the inhabitants of the Mushroom Kingdom were turning into bed to get a good nights sleep. Night has always been the time to rest and rejuvenate, but not for one inhabitant, for he was expecting company soon.

He gazed out a window at the full moon above him. "How long has it been since I caused some mischief," he asked no one in particular, "A month? Two months? I've already lost count. My newest plan will take up even more time, even if my guests agree to help. The people of this kingdom will surely forget about me, but no matter. It'll make it all the more sweeter when I rain fire down on their puny heads. Soon everyone around the world shall fear the name King Bowser Koopa!" The villain broke into a deep, hysterical laughter, filling the halls of his castle with the bone-chilling punctuation of his evil.

If any of you are even the least bit game-savvy, you know who Bowser is. If you don't, look him up. He's not hard to find. This giant koopa has been causing trouble for Mario, the hero of the Mushroom Kingdom, for years.

When he finally stopped laughing, the corridor became quiet enough for Bowser to hear the pitter patter of little feet coming down the hallway. From out of the darkness came a drowsy, miniature version of Bowser, i.e. his son, Bowser Jr. He looked a lot like his father, except he had a red ponytail instead of a mohawk, small black beady eyes, and only a single sharp tooth in his mouth. In contrast to this little devil's villainous behavior, he was wearing blue footy pajamas and carrying a teddy bear with horns. Obviously, he was supposed to be asleep.

"Daddy, do you have to laugh so loudly? You woke me up," he said, rubbing his eyes. "Sorry Jr. Didn't mean to wake you. Daddy was just having an evil moment," Bowser replied. Jr yawned, "Why are you up so late anyway?" Bowser turned back towards the window and said, "I'm expecting some company very soon. I've come up with a fool-proof plan to rid ourselves of that pest Mario _and_ take over the Mushroom Kingdom, but I'll need their help to make it work."

As Bowser gazed out the window, he noticed movement along the grounds. "Good. They've arrived," he said. As he turned to leave, Jr asked, "Can I come with you? I wanna help." Bowser scratched his chin as he thought about it, "I don't know Jr. You're supposed to be in bed." "Evil never sleeps Dad," Jr replied. "I like your attitude! C'mon, we've work to do!" And with that, Bowser started towards the foyer of his castle, with Jr following at his heels.

Meanwhile, in the foyer, all but one of Bowser's guests had already arrived. In the dwelling of the Koopa King stood five of the most terrible villains ever to walk the Mushroom Kingdom; Sir Grodus, King Boo, Tatanga, Petey Piranha, and Wario. All of these criminals, including the one yet to arrive, were all there because Bowser had requested their presence to discuss a plan for world domination. Although they were a little reluctant to come, since it was Bowser who came up with this idea, they still could not pass up an opportunity to do some bad and get back at the Mario brothers.

"Where is this guy," Wario yelled impatiently, "I'm missing _24_ for this!" King Boo said, "Patience my robust friend. I've worked with Bowser before, and he has been know to be a little "late to the party", in more ways then one," he stated, afterward bursting into a cackle, though no one else laughed. "I heard that, you little turd!"

Everyone turned abruptly to see Bowser and Jr looking down at them from the top of the stairs, clearly annoyed by King Boos remark. The ghostly king nervously inched away from the steps. Bowser cleared his throat, and said, "I'm glad you all could make it here tonight. I assure you, you will not leave here disappointed. Now, to begin, we should…," but that's when Bowser noticed something wrong, "Hey, wait a minute!" He did a quick head count, and soon realized, "We're short one."

But as if on cue, Bowser's missing guest burst through the front doors, accompanied by a strong gust of wind that made her presence known. Standing there in the doorway, with an annoyed, but evil glare in her eyes, was Cackletta, the Beanbean witch. Next to Bowser, she was the most feared out of the villains. "It's about time you showed up, old lady," Bowser yelled across the room. "Be glad I'm here at all," she yelled back at Bowser as she joined the other villains. Bowser sighed, "Well, since she's here, I can talk to you all in full about the plan I cooked up."

"This oughta be good," Wario whispered to Grodus. Bowser continued, "Now, here's what we're gonna do…"

_Twenty minutes later…_

Bowser was just wrapping things up. "…and there you have it! That's all that in a nutshell. So, what do ya think?" All of the others villains stared blankly back at Bowser, mouths agape in shock. None of them could believe what they just heard. There was an awkward silence for a few seconds, until Tatanga yelled, "Are you out of your cotton-pickin' mind!?" The other villains enthusiastically agreed. "You know not the powers you are meddling with Bowser," Grodus said. "So what? Scooby-Doo and those hippie kids meddled all the time, and everything worked out for them in the end. I think this could work, but I'm gonna need all of your help. If we team up, we'll have all of the Mushroom Kingdom cowering in fear in no time," Bowser responded.

"You seem to be forgetting something Bowser," Cackletta said, "In order for this to work, you require 7 of _them_, but there are only 6 in all! It'll never work!" Surprisingly though, Bowser just chuckled at her remark. "That's where you're wrong, my friend, for there _is_ a 7th one," Bowser said, grabbing everyone's attention, "…I just need help in finding it," he said quickly. This shattered everyone's confidence. "You mean you don't know WHERE it is," King Boo shouted. "I have a…pretty good idea where, but I'm sure our resources combined can find it," Bowser replied. Everyone groaned. "Forget it Koopa, it's just not worth it," Wario said. The villains turned around and started towards the door.

Bowser sighed. He thought for sure he would win them over. He looked down at his son, who had a disappointed look on his face. Bowser couldn't stand the sight of his son disappointed in him. Despite his reputation as the big, bad Koopa King, Jr meant more to him then anything else in the world, except maybe actually conquering the world. He quickly brainstormed on how to win the villains approval before they left. Finally, he got an idea. It was a long-shot, but he had to try something. As the other bad guys reached the door, Bowser snapped his fingers, and dramatic music started to play. Before anyone knew what was going on, Bowser broke out into song.

**Bowser:** _I remember a time,_

_When crime was sublime._

_There was plenty of loot in the lair._

_We'd plunder and pillage,_

_And ram sack a village,_

_With nary a worry or care._

_Then along came Mario_

_With his soft-hearted gleam,_

_And he ratted us out in the end!_

_So rally the troops!_

_We were meant to regroup,_

_And return to out roots once again._

_Are you in or out?_

_Gotta know with outta doubt._

_I'm the one you need,_

_For a dirty deed._

_I'm the best! Success is guaranteed!_

_Are you men or mice?_

_Take a slice of my advice._

_You want a fearless leader,_

_One who's strong and stout?_

_Better vote for me!_

_Are you in or out?_

Cackletta, Grodus, Wario, King Boo, Tatanga, and Petey stepped away from the door and thought more in depth about what Bowser had said. He had a point.

**Cackletta: **_We used to be smart, yes._

**Grodus:** _Horrendously heartless._

**King Boo:** _In ravaging raids, we were rough!_

**Wario:** _We knew that we had_

_To be blissfully bad._

**Tatanga:** _Without any sensitive stuff._

**Villains:** _But we strayed from the path_

_On our rigorous wrath._

_Now we're taking a bath in the dust!_

_But we'll reclaim our winnings,_

_Our humble beginnings._

_In turmoil and torture we trust!_

**Villains:** _Are you in or out?_

**Bowser:** _Double crossers or devout?_

_Put your faith in me,_

_Pretty soon you'll see,_

_I'm the King of Generosity._

**Villains:** _Are you foe or friend?_

**Bowser:** _Here's the path I recommend._

_You want the ride to fame?_

_I've got the fastest route!_

_What's it gonna be?_

_Are you in or out?_

It seems that Bowser succeeded in gaining their confidence, as well as restoring Bowser Jr's. Bowser hoisted Jr onto his shoulder, who proceeded to hug his dad's neck. Jr always knew he had the coolest dad in the world, and here was proof.

**King Boo:** _We'll go robbing in all the right places_,

**Wario:** _From Toad Town to the Boggly Tree._

**Grodus:** _Imagine the fear in their faces,_

**Petey:** _When we drop by for cookies and tea!_

"Come along boys! Follow me," Bowser cried.

**Villains:** _Are you in or out?_

**Bowser:** _If you're with me, give a shout!_

**Villains:** YEAH!

**Bowser:** _I'll lead you all the way,_

_Into the glory days._

**King Boo:** _We'll begin a life of crime that pays!_

**Bowser Jr.:** _Are you out or in?_

_Make your choice now, sink or swim?_

**Bowser:** _You can stick with me,_

_Or stay behind and pout!_

**Villains:** _What's it gonna be?_

**Bowser:** _Consider carefully!_

**Everyone:** _Are you in…or…OUT!?_

Authors Notes: Wow! This took a long time to write! I hope you guys like this one. I think this'll be my best fanfic so far. Remember, when the next chapter comes along, keep in mind that Bowser needs 7 of something, but I didn't reveal what they were. If I did, that would be just plain stupid.

Before anyone asks, I didn't make up that song (but I wish I did). I borrowed it from one of the Aladdin movies. It just seemed to fit into the situation so well, so I had to do it. Plus, I think it was pretty well written (not my version, the real one).

All characters and locations in this chapter are owned by Nintendo.

The song "Are You In Or Out?" is owned by Disney.


	2. Something Wicked This Way Comes

Chapter 2

Something Wicked This Way Comes

Six months later… 

The beautiful sunny day that blessed the Mushroom Kingdom one that fateful day was only a cruel guise for what was going to take place. If anyone knew of what was to come, they could have spared the kingdom of the agony it was about to endure, but sadly, not even Merlon, the town fortuneteller, saw this coming.

Our story begins in Toad Town, the Mushroom Kingdom capital and the home of the one and only Mario. But the story doesn't start with him. Instead, we turn our attention to everyone's favorite green dinosaur, Yoshi, who was just entering the town through the main gates. Unlike the video games, Yoshi wasn't always the happy-go-lucky dino we've come to know and love. True, he always seemed to be in a good mood and he didn't have a lot to worry about, but he had matured quite a bit since the days of _Yoshi Story_. What people don't seem to realize is that Yoshi is even older then Mario! After all, Mario was only a baby when Yoshi saved his butt from Kamek.

But this doesn't mean that Yoshi is an old-timer. In fact, the opposite is true. Yoshis and Birdos age a bit differently then most people. Think dog years backwards. Although Yoshi has been alive for quite sometime, biologically he's only about 16 or 17.

But despite the changes he's gone through, he's still kind and caring, and everybody liked him. Many of the Toads waved to him as he walked by, with Yoshi returning the greetings. That day, Yoshis reason for visit was to help Mario and Luigi fix their roof. During the phone call, Mario said that he needed someone with a strong back, which secretly annoyed Yoshi. Don't get him wrong, Yoshi was always willing to help a friend, but the only reason Yoshi had a strong back in the first place was because Mario always felt it was necessary to ride him during their adventures.

Yoshi sighed, "_He'd better thank me for this_," he thought to himself. The only way to get to Mario's house was to ride a Warp Pipe in the town plaza. Warp Pipes were the main transport system in the Mushroom Kingdom. They were fast and easy to use. All Yoshi had to do was jump down it, which he did, and about a minute later, he popped up right in Mario and Luigi's front yard. As he brushed himself off, he noticed that Mario and Luigi were already on the roof. "Ah, Yoshi, there you are. Come on up. This shouldn't a-take too long," Mario called down. "I'm coming," Yoshi responded, rolling his eyes.

To make a long story short, it _did_ take a long time. The sun was starting to set by the time the roof was completely fixed, and Yoshi was exhausted. As Yoshi sat on the front porch, wiping the sweat from his brow, Mario, whom was still on the roof, opened the cooler and took out some sodas. After giving one to Luigi, he said, "Here Yoshi, catch," and tossed a can over the side of the roof, not really looking where he was throwing. Sadly when Yoshi heard this, he reacted too slowly, and the soda can conked him on the head. "Gee, thanks," he said sarcastically, rubbing the new bump on his head. Yoshi reluctantly picked up the can and started drinking it as he thought, "_Still no thank you. That figures_." Yoshi's relationship with Mario was starting to become more of a one-sided friendship. Mario just didn't seem to notice what he was doing to poor Yoshi. Sometimes Mario would unknowingly mistreat Yoshi and make him feel more like a pet rather then a friend. Most of the time, Yoshi would go to Mario's house feeling like a million coins and leave feeling depressed and unappreciated.

Unfortunately, today was no different. Yoshi ended up doing most of the work that day, under the unforgiving sun, and was rewarded with a brand new headache. "I wonder if DK is doing anything tomorrow," he said quietly to himself, since he didn't plan on coming back to Mario's house the next day.

Mario put the last of his tools away and pumped down onto the porch. He took a seat on the rail next to Yoshi and took another sip from his soda. "Not-a bad for a hard days work, huh Yoshi," Mario asked. Yoshi sighed. "Yeah, I guess," was what he said, but what he meant was, "_Easy for you to say, fat man!_" Mario sensed a hint of sadness in Yoshis voice and asked, "Is everything alright Yoshi? You've been looking a bit down in the dumps recently," then, trying to guess what was upsetting Yoshi, Mario asked, "Are things going ok with you and Birdo?"

Birdo is Yoshis girlfriend. She's a very sweet and caring girl (and a good kisser, Yoshi would like to add), and she and Yoshi got along extremely well. Everyone thought they were a very cute couple. Birdo was pretty much the reason Yoshi got up in the morning. Whenever one of them was feeling lonely or sad (Yoshi now more often then Birdo), it didn't take the other long to get him/her back on his/her feet.

It was a good guess on Mario's part, but he was still once again clueless. Yoshi just sighed again, "No, there's nothing wrong."

Mario was still concerned, but before he could question it further, Luigi cried down from the roof, "Mario, get up here quick! I think you should see this!" Without skipping a beat, Mario sprang back onto the roof and joined his brother, who was looking through a spyglass. He handed it to Mario who peered through it. He wasn't even looking through it for a second until he spoke in a shocked voice, "Oh…my…God!"

Through the spyglass, Mario saw a huge army on the horizon, consisting of at least ten thousand soldiers, and they were headed right for them! Koopas, Bob-ombs, X-Nauts, Boos, Ghosts, Piranha Plants, and a bunch of other creatures, stood at the ready, like a black cloud on the horizon. "This cannot be good," Luigi said bluntly, "What do ya think they want?" Mario pondered this for a brief moment, until he came to a shocking conclusion, "I know what it is." He quickly hopped down to the porch, spun Yoshi around and looked him straight in the eye. "Listen to me Yoshi, because this is extremely important. There's a huge army approaching from the north…," "WHAT!?" This caught Yoshi completely off guard. "Listen! I need you to do something very important for me. While we protect the city, I need you to go to Shooting Star Summit, get to Star Haven, and make sure that nobody, absolutely nobody, gets their hands on the Star Rod! Understand?" Yoshi nodded, "Yeah, I get it, but what does…," "Just do it! C'mon Luigi, we have to warn the princess." As fast as lightning, the Mario brothers sprang into action and disappeared down the pipe, leaving Yoshi alone.

Yoshi thought about what had just happened. "Mario sure seemed worried. Are those goons after the Star Rod? Well, after seeing what Bowser could do with it, I can't let anyone else get a hold of it. I'd better get moving." With that, Yoshi ran to the pipe, but just as he was about to jump down it, he thought to himself, "_I sure hope Birdo's okay_…"

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Author's Notes: Yeesh! That took a while to write. Sorry for the delay, and sorry if the ending seemed a bit rushed. Anyway, for those of you who don't know, the Star Rod has the ability to grant wishes, and Bowser managed to get a hold of it in Paper Mario and caused a lot of damage. Let's hope Yoshi makes it in time.


End file.
